Speechless
by AlekIsMine
Summary: After a big misunderstanding, Alek leaves Chloe unprotected and she is kidnapped by the Order. Will she ever be safe? Will she make it home alive? Will she ever be able to forgive Alek for leaving her unprotected?
1. Mai Oh Mai

_**This is the new, updated version of the story Speechless. Please read this even if you have already read the story, I have added small scenes and lots of details. I hope you can tell that the story has improved. Chapter 2 will be available within the next 24 hours.**_

Chapter One

CHLOE 

Telling Brian that I could never see him again was by far one of the most painful moments of my life. I was lying on my back with my legs dangling off the edge of my bed. My eyes no longer contained any tears, but I knew they were puffy and red. I slowly stood and walked towards my bathroom. I felt like I was in physical pain from the heartbreak I had just experienced with Brian.

I wish that Jasmine had been wrong when she told me "you can't be friends with someone you're in love with". I had hoped that Brian would be able to move on and we could remain friends, but apparently both of us were madly in love with each other. How could love be wrong? First, I killed Xavier, my first kiss. Now, I almost killed Brian, my first love. Will I ever find a Mai that can love me as much as Brian does?

I looked into the mirror and confirmed my thoughts: my eyes were red and puffy. I picked up a white wash cloth and ran cold water over it in the sink. The cool, fluffy cloth felt good on my tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes. My eyes looked and felt slightly better after I took away the wet wash cloth. I placed my hands on the edge of the counter and leaned towards the mirror.

Because of the past few weeks, I hardly knew who I was. So many things had changed in such a small amount of time. Letting out a big sigh, I pushed off of the counter and shuffled back into my room.

I heard light footsteps on the roof of my bedroom. I had hoped it was Jasmine, coming to protect me, but I knew that Alek watched me almost every night. I patiently listened to the footsteps but I couldn't wait any longer to figure out who was on my rooftop. After walking to the window, I placed my right foot on the edge of it and then stepped on the largest branch I could reach on the oak tree outside my window. From there, I swung my arms towards the roof and jumped on top of it. A large, broad-shouldered male stood six feet away from me. 

"Chloe, I didn't expect to see you here," the suddenly familiar male said.

"You didn't expect to see me here? This is my roof, what are you doing here? Also, how did you get up here?" I was extremely confused. Why would any human be walking on top of rooftops in the middle of the night?

"Hasn't anyone told you? Alek and Jasmine aren't the only Mai in our school, you know." The way he spoke implied that what he said was completely obvious.

I paused and thought about what he said. "Are you trying to tell me that you, Tanner Duncan, are Mai?"

"Of course I'm Mai. Quite frankly, I am surprised you didn't know before now." He smirked. I tried not to laugh at his failed attempt to imitate Alek's smirk. On Alek, the smirk was classic – cocky yet adorable. On Tanner, it was awkward – it almost looked as if he was in pain. "So, Chloe, I planned on asking you to dinner, but now that we're face to face…" He leaned towards my, glancing back and forth between my lips and my eyes.

I didn't know what was happening. I kissed him back. Why was I doing this? Stop it Chloe! You don't like this guy! I suddenly pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I- I just can't do this right now, Tanner. I have to go. You should probably leave. Someone will be here to watch me any minute now and I really don't want to have to explain this." I stumbled back down into my room through the window and closed it behind me. I heard him leave, clearly disappointed. What did I just do? Well, at least I stopped the kiss, right? I kissed him back, though. Tanner Duncan was my first real kiss that wouldn't result in a death.

ALEK

I was running across the rooftops, leaping over alley's and gaps between houses, thinking about Chloe as I made my way to her house. Most nights, Chloe sleeps peacefully and I listen to her heartbeat while she sleeps. Other nights, her heartbeat quickens while she sleeps and she wakes up gasping for air, panicked and terrified of whatever nightmare she just had. I hated the nights she woke up because of nightmares. Of course, they were always related to being Mai or being stalked and killed. Chloe has a very unique personality. She is never weak, but often scared. She is not insecure, like most girls, but she does not flaunt her best qualities. Just being around her is enough to make me fall in love with her.

I knew my love was one-sided. Chloe was hopelessly in love with her human. I was almost to her house when I heard her talking to someone. Was she talking to her mom? Then I heard the second voice. It definitely was not her mom. I got closer and realized that she was on her roof, talking to Tanner Duncan.

He leaned in and slowly touched his lips to hers. Suddenly, they were completely making out. I saw one of his hands tangle itself within her long, curly hair while the other rested on her waist, pulling her slightly closer to him.

It felt like my heart had shattered into millions of tiny pieces. I turned and ran so I didn't have to watch them any more. I didn't know where I was going, or what I was going to do now. Chloe obviously didn't need me tonight. She seemed perfectly content to have Tanner look after her. He would be able to protect her; maybe even a little more than that. By the end of the weekend, if not by the end of the night, they will be dating and I will have to see them together at school every day. I couldn't bear to think about Chloe right now. I would run away and come back whenever I am ready. She seemed perfectly fine on her own. So I ran, and kept running. I ran until the sun started to rise. I figured I wasn't even in the same state anymore. It would take me hours to get back. My legs were starting to get tired so I stopped at a city park for a break. I sat down on an old wooden bench. My eyes soon drifted closed and I tried not to fall asleep, but I failed in spite of all my efforts to stay awake.

CHLOE

After I got back inside my room, I could have sworn that I heard Alek's heartbeat slowly fading away. I tried to convince myself that there was no way he would leave me here alone, that he was just running late and would be here soon. Eventually, I became too tired to wait for him and fell asleep. But, as I fell asleep, I was wary because I knew that I was alone - completely unprotected - for the first time since the day I died. When I woke up the next morning, I heard my window being opened. Thinking it was Alek coming to wake me up, I sleepily mumbled "go away".

Then an unfamiliar voice spoke, saying, "Good morning, Chloe King." I immediately jumped up to see a man with a rag in his right hand. As soon as I looked at him, he pressed it to my face over my mouth. I struggled and tried to scream for help but I blacked out before anyone could hear me. 


	2. The Fault in Our Alek

_**The second chapter took me longer than I thought to update due to other things I had to complete aside from writing, and I do not know if I will finish updating through chapter five before going to camp on Sunday. I will do my best. Enjoy the chapter! Every review is a reminder that I need to update, keep that in mind! Like, not because I wait for reviews, but I literally forget to update and then I get review emails and I think 'Oh! I have to go update that story now!' So continue reading and reviewing, please…**_

Chapter Two

ALEK

Just moments after waking up, I continued my long run away from home. There was a sign on the road that read 'Welcome to Wickenburg, Arizona'. I was entering a town about 60 miles Northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. My pocket started buzzing so I stopped running and pulled out my phone. There was an incoming call from Valentina. I considered ignoring the call but decided I should at least let her know I was okay. I doubted she could convince me to come home anyways. I accepted the call. 

"Alek, you need to come home immediately." Valentina spoke into the phone sternly and angrily. "Chloe is missing. The Order took her last night after you decided to leave her unprotected."

I couldn't believe that I had left her alone. I shouldn't have let my feelings for her get in the way of my duty to protect her. "I am on my way," I quickly replied.

"Where are you?"

"I'm in Wickenburg," I replied.

"Arizona? Alek, what on earth were you thinking?" she asked. I could tell in her tone that she thought I was a complete idiot for leaving Chloe unprotected. The worst part was, she was absolutely right.

"I'm sorry, I'll explain later. I'll be home in a couple hours." I hung up the phone and began running towards the penthouse. Chloe was in danger, possibly even dead. I ran home faster than I had even run before.

CHLOE

When I finally gained consciousness, I was in a dark room. I was standing with my hands tied together above my head with ropes hanging from the gray ceiling. I don't know how I had managed to be unconscious in such an uncomfortable position. I looked around and saw that I was in a warehouse. There weren't any windows, just boxes. They were stacked all around me except for a small opening where there was a door.

I looked around the room and noticed several cameras pointed at me. Suddenly, I knew I was being watched. The door opened and six unfamiliar men walked in and surrounded me, staying at least ten feet away at all times. They all carried at least one weapon. A man with brown hair stepped forward to introduce himself and explain why I was here. He looked like he was about twenty years old.

"My name is Brian Rezza. My latest assignment and next big achievement is to kill you, as many times as I need to." He looked around at his colleagues and smirked, "These are my..." He laughed, "friends." 

"People like you – killers – don't have real friends. They only have alliances and enemies." I glared at him, disgusted by the fact that he seemed so proud to be an assassin.

Then, he took a few steps forward and slapped me across the face. I gasped as his hand hit my cheek and the left side of my face instantly stung from the pain. Tears rushed to my eyes from the shock and the pain of the slap. Honestly, I was surprised that he hadn't broken my neck with how hard he hit me.

Brain walked back to his place with his hands resting behind his back and chuckled as he watched me react to the slap. "Alright boys," he grinned, "don't hold back now." Then he turned and walked out of the room.

I looked around, worried, as they began clutching their weapons, ready to attack. Taking turns, they stepped forward and used each weapon. First, I got a small cut on my right arm. There was a larger one on my left thigh. One man grabbed my face with his large fist and roughly held it as he dragged the knife along my forehead to make a small incision. Blood was dripping to the floor and my head was throbbing. I felt a stream of blood connect with the edge of my eyebrow and drip down the side of my face. After one man came forward and shot my left foot, I started seeing black spots. I heard several of the men start laughing. My head hung forward, and before blacking out, I saw a large pool of blood rapidly growing beneath me. 


	3. Rescued? or Set Free?

_**New chapter! I have done two in one day! I know I am only editing, but that is still impressive. In a way, editing takes more time than writing because you have to make it perfect. Writing is just getting words on a page. But I want my stories to be more than words on a page, and I hope you enjoy them. Have a great day!**_

Chapter 3

CHLOE

My eyes flew open and I gasped for air, lurching forward and trying to regain my balance. Each death truly was more painful than the last and I did not want to know what it would feel like to die again. As Brian walked back into the room, my eyes filled with tears and I was terrified that he would kill me at any moment.

"I wonder what it is like to die and come back to life again. Would you like to share that with me?" Brian grinned as he walked around me again and again, waiting for an answer.

I glared at him. "If that is what you wanted to know, I could have told you without dying again."

He looked sorry for me but his evil grin quickly returned. "I am aware of that, silly girl." He laughed, "I have, however, come to the decision that killing you seven more times would take to long to do in one night. We don't want to have your people ambush us here, so…" He paused, then reached up and started removing the ropes from my hands so I could be free. "Go home, little kitten. I am sure I will be seeing you again very soon." Just like that, he walked away. As he left, two large men came in and removed the rope from my hands so that I could leave. Then, they also walked away.

I collapsed to the concrete floor, alone in the warehouse, sitting in a large puddle of my own half-dried blood. I started thinking about my death again and how much it hurt. I started crying harder than I ever had before. It was at least another hour before I shakily stood up and left the warehouse. Searching for my phone, I placed my hand where a pocket should have been, but I realized that I was wearing pajamas with no pockets and many cuts and holes in them.

I had left my phone on my bedside table before I'd been taken away. My face was tear-stained and I was covered in dried blood. My whole body shook and my legs struggled to support me as I walked towards the exit. I considered sitting back down and waiting for the other Mai to find me but I couldn't bear to stare at my own blood any longer so I shakily walked out of the building. I didn't recognize where I was when I got to a street and I didn't know which way to go so I just started walking down the street towards the bright city lights. Maybe I could find the penthouse, or maybe the Mai would find me first. After five minutes of my slow and unstable walking, I heard someone yell my name. I looked back and saw Alek jump down from a rooftop and rush towards me. I felt noxious and I stumbled. I fainted as I heard him call my name again, this time from only a few feet away.

ALEK

I was exhausted when I arrived back in San Francisco, but I immediately began searching for Chloe. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to find her in my current state and I would most likely be better off getting some sleep and then searching for her when I woke up, but I ignored my physical exhaustion and set out to search for Chloe. I searched every alleyway and warehouse until I saw her walking slowly back towards the city from one of the warehouses. I didn't know why she was free from the Order, but I knew that she had been with them. She was covered in blood and there were several large cuts in her clothes. There weren't any open wounds or scars.

This was my entire fault. I couldn't believe that I had been stupid enough to let my feelings for her cloud my judgment. I left her completely alone. She had been taken by the Order because of me. She suffered because of me. She _died_ because of me. I felt terrible as I yelled her name. She turned and saw me sprinting towards her. She was exhausted and probably still thinking about her death. She fainted when I was almost to her and I caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Chloe, you need to wake up!" I desperately begged her to wake up as I gently shook her. She showed no signs of becoming conscious so I ran back to the penthouse with her in my arms. I ignored the looks I was getting in the lobby as I carried Chloe towards the elevator. Everyone in the lobby noticed that Chloe was bloody and her clothes were torn.

I pushed the up button on the elevator and I tried to patiently wait for it. Within ten seconds, I lost my patience and was practically growling as I jabbed the button violently with my finger. This only attracted more unwanted attention.

Suddenly, the elevator dinged and opened and I was face to face with a shocked Jasmine. She stepped aside and I rushed into the elevator. Jasmine pressed the button to go to the 28th floor. She instantly started asking me questions.

"Where was she? How did you find her? Is she hurt? Are you okay? How did you get away? Please, explain what just happened right now."

"I found her walking down a road and I have no idea what happened to her, but I know she lost a life because of me. Let's just get a Mai doctor and make sure she's okay, then she can sleep in peace and we can discuss all the mistakes I've made in the past two days." I replied.

Jasmine nodded anxiously and looked at Chloe with a worried expression. Fifteen seconds later the elevator arrived on the top floor and opened. Jasmine rushed ahead of me to unlock the door, and then I carried Chloe inside and set her down on the table. I didn't want to risk Valentina being mad at me for getting blood on the couch. 

"Mom, Alek found Chloe and brought her back!" Jasmine yelled.

Valentina came rushing into the kitchen, along with a woman who appeared to be a Mai doctor. Clearly she had thought ahead and knew Chloe might be injured. The doctor instantly started looking over Chloe, checking for any unseen injuries.

We all waited impatiently until she finally said, "She isn't injured as far as I can tell. Call me when she wakes up and I'll double check to make sure she's okay. Right now, she needs rest. Let her sleep, and don't try to wake her up – even in the morning. I'll see you all soon." The doctor smiled and nodded at Valentina and then left the penthouse.

Valentina turned to Jasmine and I. "Thank you for bringing her home, Alek. It's very late. We will discuss this in the morning. Alek, please carry Chloe to the guest room. Jasmine, please do your best to remove her bloody clothes and put on something more comfortable. Then I would like both of you to go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning; we have a lot to discuss." Then Valentina turned and walked towards her bedroom.

I looked at Jasmine, shocked that Valentina hadn't yelled at me. Jasmine simply shrugged and walked towards Chloe. I sighed and gently picked her up off the table. The guest room was at the end of the hallway, by Jasmine's room. I walked to the room and set Chloe on the bed. Then, I went to my own room to get ready for bed. I never should have left San Francisco. Everything that had happened to Chloe was my fault. Sure, I've saved her life countless times but that doesn't matter anymore because I let her die tonight.

I fell asleep feeling guilty. But I fell asleep to the beating of Chloe's heart. The fact that she was alive now meant that my life would continue. I could never live without Chloe. I love her. She doesn't love me back, but at least she is alive and safe.


End file.
